GQ to Joseph Gordon-Levitt: No Apology for Brother Death Claims

GQ is standing its ground in its feud with "The Dark Knight Rises" actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt.

The magazine has responded to Gordon-Levitt's criticism of the magazine, regarding claims made about the death of his older brother, Dan, in a cover story on the actor in the magazine's August 2012 issue.

"The magazine stands by its reporting, the facts of which are fully supported—and have been confirmed in detail—by the Los Angeles County coroner's office," GQ said in a statement Wednesday.

The Los Angeles coroner's office confirmed to TheWrap on Wednesday that Daniel Gordon-Levitt's cause of death was ketamine intoxication, with the injury occurring by intake of overdose. The coroner's office characterized the death as accidental.

Gordon-Levitt blasted the magazine via his Tumblr page earlier this week, after discovering a passage in the story discussing his deceased sibling.

"A photographer and fire spinner who went by the moniker Burning Dan, the elder Gordon-Levitt died of an alleged drug overdose in 2010," author Amy Wallace wrote. "'It was an accident' is all Joe will say about that."

Gordon-Levitt blasted back at the magazine, saying it was "irresponsible." The actor claimed that the magazine was repeating speculation and hiding behind weasel words.

"Using the word 'alleged' technically allows the writer to say whatever she wants," Gordon-Levitt wrote. "The 'allegations' to which she must be referring were made by a handful of gossip websites. They are factually incorrect according to the coroner's office and the police department. I don't like publicly speaking about my brother's death, but I'm making an exception to correct this irresponsible claim."

In its response to the actor's criticism, the magazine also claimed that it had attempted to be "respectful" in its mention of Daniel Gordon-Levitt's death.

"Because the writer, Amy Wallace, and her editors understood the pain Dan's passing caused the Gordon-Levitt family, the story sought to be respectful—and brief—in the way it described his death, which GQ felt was a relevant fact in Joseph Gordon-Levitt's biography," the magazine said.